Wildlife Is in the Wintry Spotlight at This Sylmar ‘Wonderland'

Roam an aisle rife with adorable greeting cards, the kind that show up around November, and you are bound to see one theme again and again: Cute critters at play in a snowy landscape.

The animals depicted on the card might be decorating a tree or sharing a woodland feast, but the feeling is the same: There's a seasonal sweetness to animals, wintertime, and unabashed joy.

We're a little light on snow around most parts of Southern California, but we do have some incredible critters, including those that live at the Wildlife Learning Center.

The Sylmar sanctuary is open throughout the calendar, all to give visitors a better understanding of owls, sloths, bobcats, and porcupines, as well as several other animals. But when Christmas is close, the center assumes a wintry mantle, one that has a celebratory spirit.

The annual Winter Wonderland, which is flurrying into its third year, is all about giving families the opportunity to bask in the illuminated decorations after the sun sets, and to sip toasty beverages like cider as they admire the furry, scaly, claw-rocking, and fabulously feathery locals.

The sweet open-air'd outing is charming guests weekends through Jan. 1, but wait: It will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas.

There's no snow, as mentioned, but donning a knit cap and savoring the sparkly scene, one that adds a glow to the grunty, hissy, barky bastion of awesome animal learning, is the festive focus.

If you can't make the Winter Wonderland nights, keep the cheer: There are still ways to visit the center, and the popular Individual Animal Experiences are still available for booking.

Armadillos, chinchillas, and other rad critters are among the animals you might get to meet.